SARS CoV-2 Spike protein in silico interaction with ACE2 receptors from wild and domestic species

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and since its first report it has become a major public health concern. SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to SARS-CoV and SARS-related bat coronaviruses and it has been described to use angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor. Natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic and wildlife animals, measured by RT-qPCR, has been confirmed in different countries, especially from the Felidae family. In silico analysis of the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the cellular receptor ACE2 in various animal species have suggested that wild felids and domestic cats could be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 based on this interaction. Here, we performed a protein-protein molecular docking analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with the ACE2 receptor from different animals to elucidate the potential of those species as intermediate hosts or susceptible animals for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compared to human ACE2, we found that ACE2 receptors from domestic cats and tigers could efficiently interact with RBD of SARS CoV-2 Spike protein. However, dog, ferret, and hamster ACE2 receptor interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S protein RBD was not predicted as favorable, demonstrating a potential differentiated susceptibility in the evaluated species.

• Autores: Rendón Marín, Santiago; Martínez Gutiérrez, Marlén; Whittaker, Gary; Jaimes, Javier Andres; Ruiz Sáenz, Julián
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2021
• Institución: Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UCC
• OAI Identifier: oai:repository.ucc.edu.co:20.500.12494/32931
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12494/32931
• Palabra clave: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Homology modeling; Molecular docking; Spike protein
• Rights: openAccess
• License: Atribución – No comercial – Compartir igual